


Beware, Beware

by googleduckuments



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-30
Updated: 2015-08-29
Packaged: 2018-04-18 00:54:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4686068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/googleduckuments/pseuds/googleduckuments
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The story of a somewhat morally ambiguous Dunmer Dragonborn, told from the perspectives of various people he meets along the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beware, Beware

Ulfric Stormcloak glares at a point next to the knee of the horse thief. It figures the Imperials would make him sit next to a damned greyskin for the last hour or so of his life. The elf in question hasn’t said a word the whole ride. Ulfric takes some sick comfort in the idea that at least he’ll be dying right along with him.

Later, as the world explodes into fire outside of the tower in Helgen, the same dark elf stumbles through the doorway, hands still tied. He glances around wildly, and his gaze locks with Ulfric’s for a half-second. His eyes narrow for a moment, and then he turns and is gone, running up the stairs. There is screaming and fire from higher up in the tower.

Ulfric does not see the elf again after that. He assumes he is dead, killed by dragonfire or worse.

He does not realize how wrong he is until much later.

\---------------

Irileth doesn’t know what to make of this mysterious visitor. It isn’t his race that makes her suspicious- she is a Dunmer as well, after all. It’s in the way he moves about the keep, footsteps almost inaudible, eyes flitting from person to person as if sizing them up as targets (including the Jarl’s children, which she almost can’t blame him for).

He speaks in a quiet, low voice, passing along the message about the dragon that had attacked Helgen- confirming what had only been vague rumor previously. Farengar sends him off on some wild quest, and despite the importance of it she almost hopes he won’t come back.

Then, of course, he does.

And he turns out to be some Nordic hero of legend, to boot- isn’t that irony. Despite having seemed unflappable before, even the newfound Dragonborn seems slightly taken aback by his power. Perhaps he’s simply not used to calling so much attention to himself.

Balgruuf seems irked when the elf scoffs at the idea of seeking out the Greybeards, but sends him on his way with a Thanehood anyway, for appearances’ sake. Irileth watches as he rebuffs Lydia’s attempt to speak to him, then slips out the door of Dragonsreach, shutting the door quietly behind him.

\---------------

Vigilant Tyranus is about to give up and go into the abandoned house alone when a somewhat menacing-looking Dunmer walks by, presumably en route to the Keep. He expects to be immediately turned down, but the elf agrees to accompany him surprisingly readily. Tyranus is too relieved to pay attention to the bad feeling he has in the back of his mind.

Things start quickly going wrong, of course- when half the items in the house start flying around in the air, Tyranus realizes he has severely underestimated what he’s up against. The elf has drawn his sword, but is remaining calm, at least externally.

When a deep, decidedly evil-sounding voice speaks inside his head, Tyranus makes eye contact with his companion, panicked. Assuming the similarly wild look on the elf’s face means that he agrees they should get out of there, the Vigilant dashes back upstairs only to discover that the door is locked.

_You will kill. You will kill, or you will die._

Before Tyranus can turn around, the elf obeys the Daedra’s command.

\---------------

It doesn’t take long for rumors about Windhelm’s newest Dunmer visitor to reach Ambarys Rendar.

First, in comes Suvaris, breathlessly reporting over a mug of sujamma that Stone-Fist had been harassing her on her way to the Cornerclub like usual when a Dark Elf she’d never seen before came to her defense. Within moments, the two men had ended up in a fist-fight, ending in the elf kicking Rolff in the ribs as he lay wheezing on the ground, threatening further injury if he didn’t apologize to her and go on his way. Ambarys is impressed, but not particularly hopeful- Windhelm had a way of bringing down even the most spirited of Dunmer.

Then, Aval comes in a day later, saying that he witnessed another brawl incited by the same man- this time, the result of an argument with Torbjorn Shatter-Shield over his unfair treatment of the Argonian dock-workers. At this point, Ambarys starts to genuinely worry that this man’s actions will make him a particular target for the local Nords.

Yet again, he is proven wrong, as word comes in by way of Niranye after a few more days that this same elf caught the infamous “Butcher” red-handed in the marketplace that day, trying to take the stablemaster’s sister as his next victim. He has evidently been lauded as a hero by the local guards, and his previous dubious actions completely forgotten.

Later that evening, the man himself shows up at the Cornerclub, nodding politely to several patrons who call out greetings. He wears light leather armor, and a rather vicious-looking mace hangs from his belt. When he sits at the bar, Ambarys tries to offer him a free drink, but he turns him down. He tries to insist, but then the other Dunmer leans in and tells him quietly that it’s not his money, anyway- he got these Septims off of Rolff Stone-Fist’s corpse.

Ambarys leans back and stares at the man in disbelief, at the satisfied smirk on his tattooed face.

Then, collecting himself, he accepts the coin, and hands the man a drink. The future for non-Nords was suddenly looking a lot better in this city.


End file.
